Mom shopping at Walmart with her 'small children' shot in both ankles by 21-year-old lugging pistol around in his basketball shorts: Police

A Georgia ma buying astatine Walmart with her "small children" was shredded by slug shrapnel successful some ankles aft a antheral with a pistol successful the beforehand pouch of his "basketball-style" shorts "inadvertently" acceptable the weapon off, cops say.

John Eady, 21, was wrong a Walmart successful Valdosta erstwhile the firearm helium was carrying connected June 9 "inadvertently discharged into the ground" arsenic helium was reaching for his cellphone, according to the Valdosta Police Department.

"[Eady] was carrying a firearm successful the beforehand pouch of his basketball-style shorts," the section says successful a press release posted connected Facebook. "Eady did not person the weapon successful immoderate benignant of holster, and his cellphone was successful the aforesaid pocket."

When Eady reached into his pouch for his cellphone, constabulary accidental the firearm was "inadvertently discharged into the ground" and "shrapnel from the slug and the tiles from the flooring" struck a 34-year-old mother successful the ankles.

"Preliminary accusation indicates that 1 shopper sustained a gunshot coiled to her little leg," according to VPD officials.

The pistillate was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

"Officers determined that Eady was carrying the firearm successful a mode that was a gross deviation from the modular of attraction that a tenable idiosyncratic would person exercised successful a akin situation," the constabulary section says.

"We are precise thankful that nary 1 received much terrible injuries, arsenic the unfortunate was buying with her tiny children," adds VPD Chief Leslie Manahan successful a statement. "This serves arsenic a reminder that carrying a firearm is simply a important responsibility. Firearms should beryllium carried successful a unafraid holster oregon successful different unafraid mode to forestall unintentional interaction with the trigger, reducing the hazard of an unintended discharge."

Authorities obtained an apprehension warrant for Eady connected June 10. He turned himself successful and was charged with 1 misdemeanor number of reckless conduct.

Eady was being held astatine the Lowndes County Jail.